Critical Analysis of the play ‘A Doll’s House – Henrik Ibsen

Introduction

A Doll’s House is the most popular play of Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen. It was first published and performed in the year 1879. It is three act play which focus on bold step a woman takes against her husband and family for saving her self respect.

Themes

1. Sacrificial Nature of Women – The play portrays that women are sacrificial in nature. The female characters such as Nora, Mrs. Linde and Nanny are such characters who sacrificed their personal life and dreams for the family. Mrs. Linde left her true love of Krogstad and married a comparatively rich person as he was poor and she needs to support her two younger brothers and mother. Similarly Nanny left her own child to take charge of a care taker for firstly Nora then for her children later on. Nora committed deceit for acquiring a loan to save her husband’s life. She even kept it secret from him and paid off the loan too. She knew that her husband is the dominant member of the family and he won’t bear this help from his wife. At the end when things revealed she left both her husband and children although she loved them to save her self respect. She sacrificed her own family as she thought it would be better for the children if they remain away from her presence as she committed crime of fraud and Nanny is a better mother for her children then herself.
2. Reputation – Reputation is also a strong theme of the play. It is the reputation in the eyes of the society which made the Nora leave her family. Torvald was very much concerned about his reputation. When he finds that his life is saved by a woman i.e. her own wife and that too by committing a crime of fraud for securing a loan without his permission, it meant shameful to him. He thought it below his dignity to live with such a woman and he didn’t want his children to have presence of such a person.
3. Suffocative Gender roles – This is one of the most highlighted themes of the play. The women and the men are supposed to play their usual roles in the society. The play highlights this but when these roles become suffocative and constricting they tend to force the breakthrough. A woman is supposed to be at home under his husband or father or elder brother, beget children and raise them. At the other hand a men is the leading member of the family he should earn for his family. This made the Nora missed lot of opportunities in the life first by father and later on by her husband. Nora knew that her husband won’t accept her help in hour of need as he fears becoming subject of discussion in the eyes of the society hence she kept the loan incident hidden from her husband. Mrs Linde also left her lover to marry a rich person as the husband should be an independent financially stable person to support the family. Male characters of the play like Torvald also became prey of gender roles as he couldn’t garner help of his wife in requirement. He couldn’t ask for her help by allowing her work together as woman shouldn’t work as man do. He even couldn’t able to love her as a husband and considered her as a doll on which he could rule in whatever manner he wanted.
4. Fraud – It is a strong theme of the play as Nora committed fraud of forging sign of his father to take a loan to save the life of her husband. But this fraud made her break many stereotypes of the society which became the ultimate reason of her leaving the home.

Feminism in the play

Although Henrik Ibsen out rightly rejected favouring or supporting feminism it is quite evident that play focus on rights of women. The way Nora slams the door shut behind her back and left the house leaving her children and his husband clearly indicated about her revolt against patriarchal society of the times. She did everything for her husband and in return of that she was getting assaulted verbally and being blamed as a criminal. Her realization of the self-respect made her leave the home.

Title of the Play

The title of the play is extremely suggestive and appropriate. It is ironical as doll symbolizes an inanimate and subordinate object which is subjected to the control and playfulness of the owner. Even the term house is ironical. Firstly it’s the house of Torvald and not Doll’s and he is keeping her there on his own terms. Secondly term house reflects the building while home means where family lives and one gets love there. Hence home has emotional attachment but not the house. Hence this title suggests that Nora is like a doll for the Torvald whom he is keeping in his house. She is there like someone is kept inside a cage. She doesn’t has free will or any sort of freedom there. She is not even getting the requisite love of a wife. Hence this ironical title is very aptly used by the writer.

Is Nora’s act justified?

There are various scholars who criticise the leaving of the house by Nora. They took it as running from the responsibilities. It is true that character of Torvald is dominating and patriarchal but Nora should have thought about her children. She is leaving them on the Nanny. She is a good mother who loves her children wholeheartedly and her act of fraud didn’t have wrong intensions hence it doesn’t make her character bad. An alternative would have been to take the children with her although Torvald did not want her presence on the children but leaving them behind questions her capabilities. It seems she was doubting on herself whether she would be able to raise them or not.

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